The Week 7 "Thursday Night Football" matchup may not be the most appealing one on paper, but the interconference clash should have plenty of intrigue.
The New Orleans Saints will host the Denver Broncos in a battle between two teams hoping to work their way into the wild card picture.
The Saints and Broncos are meeting for the first time during Sean Payton's time in Denver. The 61-year-old is a New Orleans legend who won a Super Bowl during his 15-year stint with the Saints. He hasn't reached that level of success since coming out of retirement and joining the Broncos, but he can give his team a winning record with a win over his former club.
Both squads are dealing with key injuries during the short week, and NFL fans will be deprived of a potential Chris Olave vs. Pat Surtain II matchup in this one.
Even so, the Week 7 clash figures to be much more competitive than the last Denver vs. New Orleans contest, during which the Broncos were forced to play wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback after all their top quarterbacks were exposed to COVID-19.
Here's everything to know about the "Thursday Night Football" matchup for Week 7.
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The Broncos (3-3) are traveling to New Orleans to take on the Saints (2-4) in Sean Payton's first game back in the Superdome.
Payton coached the Saints from 2006-21, posting a 152-89 record and leading New Orleans to a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl 44. He and Drew Brees were a dynamic tandem in the city for over a decade, and Payton figures to get a warm welcome in his first game at the Superdome as Denver's coach.
The Broncos enter Week 7, coming off a 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Denver started the game slowly after losing Surtain to a concussion but eventually improved on both sides of the ball to get back in the game. The Chargers scored just three points after halftime, while Bo Nix recovered from a rocky start to post a respectable stat line in the defeat.
Denver will once again be charged with surviving without Surtain, which may have a massive impact on its defense. Payton and Vance Joseph will need to devise a quality plan to derail a Saints offense (and special teams) that just dropped 27 points on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Part of the reason for New Orleans' offensive success? Rookie Spencer Rattler had a solid debut, completing 22-of-40 passes against the Buccaneers for 243 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in his first career NFL start. Rattler figures to start Thursday again after starting in place of the injured Derek Carr (oblique) Sunday with Jake Haener backing him up.
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Still, New Orleans's explosive offense hasn't been the same since the first two games of the season during its four-game losing streak. As such, this matchup with a Broncos team that is allowing just 284.3 yards per game (fourth-fewest in the NFL) won't be easy.
The Saints' best chance for success will still come on the ground, where Denver ranks about average, allowing 114.2 yards per game. Alvin Kamara has had a resurgent season, though he racked up just 40 yards on 13 carries against the Buccaneers and will be asked to handle the bulk of the workload against the Broncos. That should make him a coveted DFS play, especially with Olave (concussion) out for the contest.
The Broncos will be able to attack the Saints however they want. New Orleans allowed 325 passing yards and 277 rushing yards to the Buccaneers in their 51-27 Week 6 blowout and has allowed at least 450 yards of offense in back-to-back games. Nix may not be as explosive a passer as Baker Mayfield, but if he can get the ball to Courtland Sutton early and often, Denver shouldn't have too much trouble moving the ball on an up-and-down Saints stop unit.
At the very least, Payton will have a chance to make his return to the Superdome interesting. Don't be surprised if the veteran coach ultimately finds a way to beat his former defensive coordinator turned head coach Dennis Allen in this clash of evenly matched teams.
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"Thursday Night Football" will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video. Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color commentary), and Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) will be on the call for Amazon's broadcast.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who plays on Thursday Night Football? Game, start time for Week 7